Eight Advisory assisted Shadow and Octave Klaba in the acquisition of Qwant

On Tuesday 11 April 2023, Synfonium, a new structure 75% owned by Octave Klaba (founder of OVH Cloud) and 25% by Caisse des Dépôts, entered into exclusive negotiations with the French search engine’s shareholders with a view to a takeover. This company would also include the cloud computing and storage service Shadow, which Octave Klaba acquired in 2021.

Launched in 2013, the search engine Qwant, a pioneer in user privacy, presents itself as an alternative to the hegemony of American search engines. The company, which was supported by the state for a long time, currently employs around 100 people.

Eventually, the Synfonium structure is expected to add more services to its platform to create a true European champion of online services.

“We are very proud to have accompanied Shadow and Octave Klaba in the acquisition of Qwant, an important transaction for the sector on a European level,” says Florent Berckmans, Partner

Eight Advisory’s involvement in this transaction

• Sébastien Smercan, Partner Transaction Services
• Florent Garnier, Partner Transaction Services
• Florent Berckmans, Partner Strategy & Operations